Acer Veriton S2690g vs. Alienware Aurora R3

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_S2690g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_Aurora_R3.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMid Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen12 i3/i5/i7/i9Intel Gen2 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetH610P67
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMUDIMM DDR4-3200DIMM DDR3-1333/1866
RAM slots24
RAM speed3200 MT/s1866 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (8x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 2.0; DisplayPort 1.4aN/A
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;
Optional portsN.AN.A.
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 4.0 x1(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 3.5in; 5.25 inch slim(4x) 3.25in; (3x) 5.25in;
PSU180/300 W525/875 W
Weight6.84 kg (15.07 lb)22.09 kg (48.7 lb)
Released20212011
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your particular power supply model has enough power. Additionally some PSUs don't come with an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to buy a SATA to PCIe power adapter.

Differences between Acer Veriton S2690g and Alienware Aurora R3

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton S2690g which was released in 2021. The Alienware Aurora R3 is older and entered production in 2011.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R3 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Acer Veriton S2690g and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

Usually the newer the generation of the CPU, the better the performance and efficiency is. If your budget allows it, you should go with the Acer Veriton S2690g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R3 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Aurora R3 has 4 RAM slots while the Acer Veriton S2690g has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

The Acer Veriton S2690g is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1866 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Acer Veriton S2690g as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Alienware Aurora R3 has 13 USB ports. The Acer Veriton S2690g is inferior in this regard and packs 8 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Acer Veriton S2690g has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R3 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Acer Veriton S2690g comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Aurora R3 does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

SATA slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 4 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Acer Veriton S2690g. Sadly, the Alienware Aurora R3 has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

Make sure that the available M.2 slot supports the PCIe (also called NVMe) interface. This is important as there are M.2 slots which support only the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III interface has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Acer Veriton S2690g comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R3 has a more powerful one rated at 875 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Acer_Veriton_S2690g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_Aurora_R3_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout